State Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) has been appointed to serve as majority chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 2019-20 session. It is the first chairmanship for Boback, who was sworn-in on New Year’s Day to begin her seventh term in office. Boback taught in the Tunkhannock Area School District for 33 years and is a former adjunct professor at Misericordia and Wilkes universities. In recent years the House Children and Youth Committee has taken up key pieces of legislation involving adoption, child abuse and grandparents’ rights. Rep. Boback says she is looking forward to the challenge of serving as the committee chairman.

Rep. Boback’s Civics Education Legislation Signed into Law by Governor
- 6/29/2018

Legislation requiring Pennsylvania students to take a civics assessment before they graduate was approved by the PA House and Senate in June and has recently been signed into law by the governor. Bill sponsor Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) said she feels this effort is essential to ensuring the next generation of citizens will have a working knowledge of both the structure and function of our governmental institutions.

Boback Announces Legislation to Protect School Drinking Water
- 3/14/2018

Legislation to address the threat of high levels of lead in the drinking water of Pennsylvania’s schools was introduced Wednesday in Harrisburg. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming), would establish a regular testing regimen for all water used for drinking and cooking in schools, require test results be disclosed to parents, and set a statewide standard for lead levels in school water that is the same as that used for bottled water. Rep. Boback said she was surprised to discover that Pennsylvania ranks near the top of the list for states with elevated levels of lead in daycare and school drinking water, and she hopes her bill can be acted on quickly to help address the problem.

Legislation to increase penalties for those found guilty of caller identification spoofing, introduced by Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming), passed unanimously out of the House Judiciary Committee this week. House Bill 979 is intended to specifically address the practice of spoofing, which occurs when individuals use technology to make it appear that a call is coming from a number or business other than that of the actual caller. Spoofing can be used to defraud, harass or induce call recipients to divulge sensitive or confidential information. This legislation would make it a misdemeanor for any person to cause false caller identification information to be displayed on a recipient’s telephone, with the intent to harass or defraud the call recipient. Rep. Boback’s bill will now be considered by the full House.

In an effort to raise awareness about medication diversion and remind citizens to lock up their prescription drugs, the Pennsylvania House has approved a resolution designating October 19th as Lock ‘Em Up Day in Pennsylvania. Prime sponsor of House Resolution 1070, Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna, Luzerne & Wyoming) said the resolution was introduced in response to a rising number of thefts involving dangerous prescription drugs, particularly from senior citizens; and the need to build awareness about the risks of not storing drugs in a secure location.

On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf spoke before a joint session of the General Assembly about Pennsylvania’s ongoing opioid and heroin abuse crisis, calling for the legislature to address access and abuse of the drugs, from prescription to disposal. Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming) said the House has been proactive on the issue, having already moved several pieces of key legislation.

Boback Introduces Bill to Encourage Protection of Children
- 8/15/2016

Legislation designed to encourage citizens to take action when they encounter children trapped in a hot car has been introduced in Harrisburg. House Bill 2276 would provide civil immunity for any damage done by those who act responsibly in rescuing a child from a hot car. Bill sponsor Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming) said people who step in to provide assistance should not have to fear civil penalties for their lifesaving action.
House Bill 2276 now awaits consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.

Legislation designed to improve the knowledge of history and civics in the Commonwealth was the topic of a press conference held in Harrisburg on Monday. Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming) is the co-sponsor of House Bill 1858, which would require high school students to pass a test on basic facts of U.S. history and civics taken from the United States Citizenship Civics Test – the same test all immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship must pass.

At a press conference held at the State Capitol on Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that he intends to allow a budget approved by the General Assembly last week to become law without his signature. The move signals the end of a nine-month fiscal impasse in Pennsylvania. The 30 billion dollar spending plan allows money to flow to schools, corrections, and agriculture programs that had been held hostage during negotiations.